The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

by

James Thurber

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Walter Mitty makes teaching easy.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Characters

Walter Mitty

The decidedly unheroic hero of the story, Mitty is a meek and henpecked husband who fantasizes about heroic acts in order to escape his mundane life and unhappy marriage. His alter egos—a naval commander, a… read analysis of Walter Mitty

Mrs. Mitty

Walter Mitty’s nagging wife. Domineering and demanding, she controls every aspect of her husband’s behavior, from whether he wears his gloves to how fast he drives the car. While she believes she is acting… read analysis of Mrs. Mitty

Parking-Lot Attendant and Grinning Garagemen

Young, cocky men who, Walter Mitty feels, judge him for not being able to handle his car. The parking-lot attendant parks Mitty’s car with what Mitty sees as “insolent skill,” while the garagemen grin at… read analysis of Parking-Lot Attendant and Grinning Garagemen
Minor Characters
Lieutenant Berg
An officer in Mitty’s naval-commander fantasy. He initially questions the orders of the Commander (Mitty’s alter ego) but ultimately obeys.
Dr. Renshaw
The Mittys’ family doctor. After Mrs. Mitty suggests that Walter Mitty see him for a checkup, Mitty imagines Dr. Renshaw desperately needs his help in the operating room and he (Mitty, as a doctor in his fantasy) has graciously saved the day.
Wellington McMillan
The patient from Mitty’s operating-room fantasy. A powerful “millionaire banker and close personal friend of Roosevelt,” his name matches that of the famous Wellington brand of rubber boot, thus personifying the overshoes that Mrs. Mitty forces her real-life husband to buy.
Dr. Benbow
A second local doctor from the operating-room fantasy. “Dr. Mitty” notes that he drinks.
Dr. Remington
A specialist from New York in the operating-room fantasy.
Dr. Pritchard-Mitford
A specialist from London in the operating-room fantasy.
Gregory Fitzhurst
The man Walter Mitty is accused of killing in the courtroom fantasy.
Sergeant
“Captain Mitty’s” deferential and admiring subordinate in the fighter-pilot fantasy.
Young Raleigh
Captain Mitty’s copilot, who is unable to fly in the fighter-pilot fantasy.